Archive - Outlook
January 26th, 2012
Phyllis Eriksonâs passion for orchids began 30 years ago. As hobbyists, Erikson and her husband, Dale, filled their home with orchids. Soon, they ran out of room, moved the orchids to an outdoor shed and quickly filled it.
âThat first winter, all our orchids froze,â she said. âThatâs when we built the greenhouse.â
Erikson turned her hobby into an avocation, a vocation and now a business. Ironwood Estate Orchids is located behind the Eriksonsâ home, nestled in the woods, with two greenhouses full of orchids in various stages of growth and bloom.
January 19th
As a toddler growing up in Chicago, Catherine LeFevers tried to understand the ancient art of origami. LeFevers grew up surrounded by art â her parents attended Art Institute of Chicago. A collection of origami books, published in 1959, was nestled among many stacks of art books.
LeFevers, 51, and a resident of Newton, still has these books.
âI was intrigued with origami but couldnât understand it,â she said. âI did fold paper as a child.â
January 12th
Jake Shimabukuro believes music is the greatest gift, and the ukulele is the friendliest way to present that gift to the world.
Jake Shimabukuroâs life is centered on the ukulele â itâs been that way since he was 4 and picked up a âuke.â
âMy mom played and taught me my first few chords,â Shimabukuro said. âI started strumming mainly traditional Hawaiian music has a child.â
Later, though, Shimabukuro enjoyed the challenge of trying to play other styles of music on the four string, two octave instrument, such as jazz, classical or rock.
January 5th
Frigid temperatures and fresh snow greeted 2012 in the North Carolina mountains. While the ski resorts donât encourage folks to call in to work sick, skiing conditions are excellent. Heed the frostbite warnings, though.
Hereâs a look at three ski resorts.
Appalachian Ski Mountain
December 29th, 2011
Just imagine flying across the nation on Christmas Day. Just imagine 12 nights in Burbank, Calif. Just imagine working six of those days under pressure, on deadline, with no pay. Just imagine being part of the 2012 Rose Parade in Pasadena.
Just imagine what it feels like to see float No. 56 round the magic corner.
âJust Imagineâ is the theme for the 123rd Rose Parade, and Conover resident Michael Paysour will be in Pasadena for the third year in a row as a float decorator.
Paysour, 59, is a retired teacher who taught U.S. history and civics at Fred T. Foard High School.
December 15th
Lifelong Conover resident Don Barker spent many years behind a camera as a photographer for The Observer News Enterprise. Photography was also his hobby, along with history â especially area history.
In 2007, Barker wrote âFor the Love of the Game,â which reports the history of the Newton-Conover Twins baseball team.
Barkerâs âBig Time for a Dimeâ delivers a history of movie theaters in the Catawba Valley.
Barkerâs recently released book âConoverâ is the newest addition to Arcadia Publishingâs popular âImages of Americaâ series.
December 9th
By
Outlook Special Reports
In addition to a history of unparalleled love songs from The Lettermen, here is another constant: Tony Butala, original and founding member.
Butala remained with the popular vocal group for its 50-plus year career. As the only founding member in the trio (Butala, Donovan Tea and Bobby Poynton), Butala, 73, said as long as there is a Lettermen group, they will be singing good, quality and positive harmony music that the whole family can enjoy.
How has the trio managed to keep the sound, the genre and popularity?
âBecause I am the lead on most of the hit records,â he said candidly.
December 2nd
Amidst the growing community of Bethlehem and off the beaten path of N.C. 127 North, Bethlehem Branch Library offers an engaging blend of books and art.
The library, part of the Alexander County Library, opened five years ago on Rink Dam Road.
Through the efforts of the Bethlehem Branch Friends, the small library expanded last year and added a childrenâs section.
Bud Caywood, president of Friends, Bethlehem resident, artist and poet, said the new area is called âthe gallery.â
November 17th
Symphonic music and artistic dance have taken over the stage of The Newton Conover Auditorium as The New Art School of Ballet makes its final preparations before âThe Nutcracker Suiteâ is preformed in front of hundreds of people.
Under the direction of Michael and Melissa French, co-artistic directors for the New Art School of Ballet, in collaboration with Reggie Helton, executive director of The New Art School and the Kontras String Quartet, âThe Nutcracker Suiteâ will be presented on Dec. 3 for two public showings, in addition to two private showings reserved for area students.
November 14th
Hickory’s Jon Reep returned to the Unifour last weekend to perform before a sellout crowd at the J.E. Broyhill Center. The 2007 Last Comic Standing took time to check in with Outlook readers
